Can you name the type of animals that like to live in their own filth?
Evidently some of us humans do.
When turning from Eureka onto Crouch Road each evening there is apparently more litter than the day before. There is no doubt that those throwing out the litter live nearby and drive by their own mess every day.
And it is not just my road. Litter is strewn throughout the county. When Panola County had two crews of inmates from Panola’s jail, they could maintain the problem at a certain level on most well-traveled roads.
And over the years, Panola has made strides in roadside dumping, although it still occurs.
The most obvious problem now is litter such as drink cans and bottles, fast food sacks and wrappers, chicken boxes and other miscellaneous disposables lining our roadsides.
Go to any rural stop sign and look around and you will see just how serious the problem is. Sheriff Dennis Darby said once inmates clean an area, it is trashed again within a week or so.
Recently we have made friends with two Iowa Pacific Railroad employees from rural upstate New York who spend a large portion of their year living in Panola County while working on the Grenada Line between Memphis and Grenada. Although they express their love for our area and its people, they cannot believe nor understand the large amount of litter lining our roadsides.
If they notice excessive litter, it’s obvious that others do and there’s no good assumption one can make for a community with excess litter lining their roads.
This problem will not go away overnight, but this Saturday county officials along with Panola’s Solid Waste Department is sponsoring a Clean-Up Panola Day.
They are asking volunteers to help clean up a section of roadway, theirs and/or others. Several organizations and church groups have already volunteered but more are needed.
And you don’t have to do it Saturday. If you want to pick it up prior or after, that’s all right, too. Garbage bags will be furnished and gloves have been donated by Panola Paper Company. Participants can call in the location and have county crews pick up bags on the following Monday, May 2.
It’s a big undertaking but if many participate a little will go a long way. If only a few join in—well, not much will change.
Call 563-6200 to claim a road to clean and pick up trash bags and gloves at courthouses in Batesville and Sardis and City Hall in Crenshaw.